Tuesday, October 11, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla.--Drake head football coach Chris Creighton is being honored tonight at the 14th Annual Giants Steps Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports, at the Orlando Marriott World Center.
Drake's Director of Athletics Sandy Hatfield Clubb is in Orlando to accept the award on Creighton's behalf. Creighton, who provided a written acceptance speech, is unable to attend the event, as it falls between two road games for his team, which sits in a tie for first place in the Pioneer Football League at 3-0, 5-1 overall.
Each year, winners are selected based on their commitment to positively affecting social change through the power of sport, actualizing the mission of the NCAS.
The announcement of the 2011 Giant Steps Award winners was made on April 6 as part of National STUDENT-Athlete Day, and Creighton was named the winner in the Coach division, joining Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom (Civic Leader), Dr. LeRoy Walker (Barrier Breaker) and two high school Outstanding Athletes. Tonight the NCAS also will induct former Olympian Nancy Hogshead-Makar into its Hall of Fame.
The awards honor student-athletes, athletic administrators, civic leaders, coaches, parents, organizations, and other individuals who demonstrate an outstanding ability to manage life on and off the field, and who demonstrate a commitment to the betterment of society.
Creighton was chosen by the NCAS for his leadership and vision in planning, organizing and successfully completing a once-in-a-lifetime trip for his Drake Bulldogs football team to Tanzania, Africa, in May 2011. On May 21 the Drake football team defeated an all-star team from CONADEIP, Mexico's premiere college athletics league, in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl; the first sanctioned American-style football game on the African continent.
While there, Coach Creighton led the Bulldogs in a variety of service projects, including a construction project that that added a new girls' wing to an orphanage in Moshi. The team also conducted football clinics for approximately 1,000 Tanzanian youth and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Coach Creighton has always sought to develop his players as men, as ethical leaders, and as influential members of their communities. His goal has never been simply to win games, but to make his players' experience as a Drake Bulldog one that will challenge them, change them, and impress upon them how sport can be used to serve humanity.
"I am definitely humbled to receive this award," Creighton said. "I'm appreciative of the support of (Drake Athletic Director) Sandy Hatfield Clubb, taking the time to make this possible for me and being supportive of this entire trip. She put so much work into this project, as have so have many others. My hope would be that everybody involved would share in the excitement that I feel in being recognized, because they too have played a significant role."
Dr. Richard Lapchick, NCAS President & CEO, traveled to Des Moines in May and spoke to the team before it departed for Africa, the second time he has visited Drake during Creighton's four years.
"He had a very powerful message. I know that we at Drake want to be involved in sport for all the right reasons, and the NCAS stands for all the right things. To be a part of their mission means a lot."
For more information on the NCAS and tonight's Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame induction ceremony, please visit the organization's official website.
